Music Game
by Aprilup
Summary: All Rukia wants is to be able to near Music again . . . All Ichigo wants is to play; play and forget the past . . . but you can't run away from a bond once formed and the two find themsleves unexplainably drawn to one another  . . . once again . . .
1. Chapter 1

**DON'T KILL ME! I know that this type of AU with music has been done before, but I promise you:**

**THIS IS DIFFERENT!**

Disclaimer: Aprilup does not own Bleach!

Enjoy!

**Music Game – Playlist No. 2 Track 5. Break My Heart**

The door creaked open and Rukia stepped in hesitantly.

She left the door open just a crack because she felt a little insecure.

Her eyes feasted hungrily at the sight before her. Musical instruments were strewn all over the place; mouthpieces here and some valve oil there. Music sheets and books were heaped in little piles and there was an odd pencil and rubber lying on top of a stack. Rukia made her way carefully around the room, slowly, so she wouldn't knock anything over. Near the back and sort of to the middle of the room, there was a grand piano. It was old and dusty and it just made Rukia's fingers tingle at the mere sight of it.

How she wished to lift open the lid and run her fingers over the keys and listen to each beautiful note.

How she wanted to pick up a piece of music and sing it out loud.

This was a daily routine of torture for Rukia.

The old forgotten music room she was in had been discovered quite by accident. She had been wandering around the school several weeks ago, hiding from her bodyguards when she had found this amazing place.

Now, without anyone scolding her or forbidding her to play a musical instrument, she was free.

She gently reached out for a sheet of music, only to stop centimetres away from the paper.

"_But-"_

"_No more! You voice will be gone if you continue like this!"_

She wrestled with herself for a while before dropping her hand back to her side.

"_Nee-san! NO! Nee-san!"_

"_Rukia . . . Listen to him . . .please"_

No, she wasn't free.

The guilt would eat her alive if she attempted anything.

Closing her eyes, she let out a soft sigh.

Why couldn't life just be a little fairer?

School was starting again tomorrow . . . and she just didn't want to face it.

* * *

><p>Byakuya Kuchiki was worried.<p>

Being worried did not suit him. After all, as the CEO of such a successful company, what could he worry about? He rubbed his forehead gently. All this travelling has taken its toll on him.

"Would like you some refreshments, Kuchiki-sama?"

He looked up at the flight attendant and dismissed her with a flick of his hand. How annoying. She had interrupted his thoughts.

How he wished for everything to be alright.

_Two weeks. Just two weeks._

Byakuya took some calming breaths and concentrated on the paperwork in front of him. Working on a plane didn't suit him either; he couldn't wait to be rid of this hunk of metal with wings.

_Rukia . . . be safe . . ._

* * *

><p>"What!"<p>

The butler bowed apologetically.

"I am sorry, _ojou-sama_."

Rukia glared at her soup.

_Two weeks. _

_Two weeks . . ._

Rukia's eyes lit up.

Maybe, it wasn't as annoying as she thought.

"Mr. Koiwa, please contact the school's administration office. I need to change one of my subjects."

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT DAY<strong>

"Ah, Kisuke!"

The blonde head turned to see the P.E Teacher leap towards him with an evil grin.

"What's up Yoruichi?"

"Hehe, I heard you're getting two new students in your class!"

"As a matter of fact, I am. Why?"

Yoruichi stepped back and placed both hands on her hips, laughing madly as she did so.

"Do you know its Bya-bo's little sis?"

Urahara cocked his head curiously at Yoruichi.

"Would you like me to greet her with the usual custom?"

Yoruichi nodded vigorously.

"Ah, well, you see Yoruichi, I had something else in mind."

Urahara's face now had a bigger smirk than Yoruichi.

"Something much better!"

* * *

><p>Kurosaki Ichigo was not in a good mood.<p>

He was in a new school so obviously he would take some time to find the music room for his next lesson, but wandering around this long is absolutely ridiculous! The size of Karakura Private School had blown him away, but then again, he was used to government schools his whole life.

He was hoping a new school meant new opportunities.

New music.

His fingers were just itching to play one of the top quality instruments that the school has.

The only problem: where on Earth is the damn Music Room 2?

Walking and fuming to himself about not getting a map from the front office, he walked into something.

"Ow!"

Scratch that. Not something, someone.

"Watch it shorty," he snapped at her. The last thing he needed was another of those rich brats to laugh at him for not finding his way around.

"I beg your pardon?"

Ichigo scoffed. This girl was clearly one of those rich kids from the way she spoke and carried herself.

"You are pardoned," Ichigo replied sarcastically, watching her eyes grow from confused to incredulous fury.

"Do you have any idea how rude you being, sir?"

"Che, what sir? I had no idea I was being that rude!" Ichigo scoffed, his voice still laced with heavy sarcasm.

The petite girl trembled with anger.

"Yes. And if you apologize now, then we can forget that it had ever happened, sir."

Ichigo felt his temper rising.

"What for? You walked into me, midget."

A vein throbbed in the girl's forehead and her hands clenched tightly into fists to hold in her anger. When she spoke again, he voice was calm but had a touch of cold anger.

"I'm afraid that you are mistaken, _Mr. _OrangeTraffic Cone, for it was you that wasn't looking where you were going."

Ichigo mentally cursed the heavens above and his father for giving him such an unusual hair colour.

"You little- . . . look, you're obviously a junior high student but in case you haven't noticed, this is the senior high side, so you better buzz off."

The girl looked like she was about to explode. Ichigo just watched her; something felt strange, not in a bad way though. It feels almost sort of nostalgic, like this was so familiar.

"Don't you know who I am? I didn't want to have to say this as I don't like to brag about my status, but!"

She took of her hat, shook out her hair and glared up at Ichigo who stared at her face dumbly.

"I am the one and only heir to the Kuchiki Corporation!"

She stomped on Ichigo's feet with as much force as she could and twisted to the side a little to show him her senior badge, proving her to be in Year 11 despite her height. She pulled Ichigo's hair as he bent down to rub his feet, shoving their faces together.

"Kuchiki Rukia!"

* * *

><p>Byakuya silently prayed; or more like silently chanted over and over again.<p>

_Oh, please, please, PLEASE just let Rukia be ok._

* * *

><p>"Ok, class! Settle down!"<p>

The class was eagerly chatting away about the two new students to their class. Speculations flew around; gossip and rumours were passed on.

Urahara stared stoically at his rowdy class and sighed.

"SHUT UP!"

Immediately everyone stopped and slinked back to their seats.

"Ok. Now, we have two new students in our class from now on, as you are already aware of. Please give a warm welcome!"

He gestured to the door as people stared cheering and clapping.

There was an awkward silence as the door didn't open.

"Um, the new students?" Urahara called again.

BOOM!

The door burst open with a lot of force, sending a blast of air towards Urahara and knocked his hat off.

Ichigo stalked in, looking sour and grouchy as usual.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. 17 years old. Likes guitar and yes, my hair is naturally orange."

And with the short and quick introduction, he sat down at a spare table, ignoring everyone's incredulous stares and gasps.

"Kurosaki-kun, thank you for joining us. Um, is Kuchiki-san with you by any chance?"

At the mention of the Kuchiki name, Ichigo's scowl grew bigger and he slouched down in his seat angrily.

"No."

"Yes."

Ichigo looked up in surprise.

Rukia walked into the classroom, shocking all of the class.

"Yes, I was with Kurosaki-san but we got separated, please forgive me for being late, sensei."

She sat down in the only available seat left, next to Ichigo.

Urahara grinned and fanned himself gently, so far so good.

"Ok, class, because we have new students and it's the beginning of the new semester, why don't we introduce our selves musically, since this is after all, music!"

A bright bubbly girl with long red-ish brown hair jumped up.

"Oh! May I go first?"

"Of course, Inoue-san."

The girl, Inoue, walked to the front of the class and smiled happily at everyone.

"Um, Hi! I'm Inoue Orihime. My musical ability is to sing, so um, I'll sing today."

* * *

><p>Could this day get any worse?<p>

Not finding the right room, getting into an argument with that Kuchiki, sitting next to that Kuchiki . . . It was just so crazy, like all his bad luck had decided to self-combust and let loose today.

Ichigo watched as the class introduced themselves one by one; either singing or playing an instrument. Some were pretty good, he had to admit, but honestly this was all a pile of crap to him.

He just wanted to get his hands on an instrument and play away.

"Kurosaki-kun? Would like to perform for us?"

Ichigo glared at the weird music teacher, refusing to co-operate.

"What's wrong Kurosaki? Are you that uneducated that you chose music without having any talent in anything?"

Rukia's words struck Ichigo. Cold fury washed through him and stood up. He was going to show that stupid rich girl.

"Watch and learn midget, maybe you could get some tips off me."

He turned around and faced the class, a good song to sing suddenly popping up in his mind.

"Hey," he looked at Urahara,"do you have any good music?"

Urahara gestured to a massive pile of disks.

Ichigo walked over and searched for the song. It was quite easy; unexpectedly the disk had been on top of the pile. He opened it and popped the disk into the CD player.

A nice strong beat started and Ichigo couldn't help but grin.

"_So you're the girl, I heard the rumour._

_You got the boys wrapped around your finger. _

_Such a sweet heartbreaker_."

The rest of the class started nodding to the beat, some started clapping in time.

"_If you're the game, then I wanna be a player_."

He slammed both hands down on the desk, in front of Rukia, making her jump a little in her chair.

"_Oh, you can do whatever you want. It's alright with me_!"

Several other boys, knowing the song, jumped in and started singing together with Ichigo for the chorus.

"_Why don't you break my heart,_

_Make it hurt so bad! _

_Come on, give it your best!_

_Nothing less, I insist, just like that._

_Why don't you break my heart?_

_Sounds good to me!_

_Do it over again, again, again_

_Just what I need._

_Why don't break my heart!_

_Yeah, break it."_

The music stopped and everyone stopped too.

Ichigo and the rest of the class were all up on their feet dancing at this time. He looked around and saw that Rukia was standing near the CD player, her finger on the stop button.

There was silence as Rukia and Ichigo stared each other down, electricity cackling between them.

Rukia opened her mouth to say something but then stopped.

Instead, she walked over to where her bag was and picked it up. Without another sound, she walked out of the classroom and left.

Everyone stared at the open door, whispering to each other while Ichigo remained rooted in the same spot.

He didn't care that Rukia was mad at him; he didn't care that she had stopped his music. There was something else now that he desperately wanted to know about the mysterious Kuchiki girl. If she chose music, it obviously meant that she like music to some extent.

So why did she look like she was about to cry?

"Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo turned to face his teacher.

"I forgot to tell you before, but there is something more to the introduction. In two days, everyone in their pairs will have to perform something for the class. It can be your own work or your version of a song."

Ichigo had a sinking feeling-

"Your partner is Kuchiki-san."

Damn.

**AUTHOR NOTE: **I just had to write this, I know Ume No Tsubasa is really and I mean really far behind schedule and I apologize! I promise an update by the end of this week!

REVIEW! 3 and flame too!


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR NOTE: **well, I must say bookwormtiff's reaction to my fanfic was quite shocking, so this chappie is for her!

This chappie is quite angsty (well, angsty compared to my other fanfics) but don't worry it will pick up next chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach, but I totally agree with the plotline right now!

SPOILER! DON"T READ!

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RUKIA IS BACK! OH MY GOD! She's finally back and she looks cooler than ever! WHOOT!

**Music Game – Playlist No.1 Track 8: Halleluja Remix**

~ _Live on . . . always remember, love deeply, travel far and never, ever forget . . . ~_

Rukia curled up against the wall in the forgotten music room, breathing heavily has she tried to swallow back her tears. It was unbelievable and she had been caught unaware. That guy, Kurosaki Ichigo . . . he had looked so similar to _him _during that performance. That confidence, that swagger, even the singing style was exactly the same.

It was almost as if _he_ had come back from the dead.

Plip, plop.

Her teardrops splashed onto her skirt.

Abandoning all attempts to hide her sadness, she allowed herself to sob silently.

_I miss you . . ._

Sometimes, she thought the pain of losing her sister couldn't compare to the pain she felt when she had lost _him_ . . .

She loved her sister so much. But, _he _was there when she wasn't.

She had only been 10 when her sister had found her; she had spent her whole life up until then in many different homes. But, no matter how far away her new home would be, _he _would find her and stay with her.

Even when she had moved into the new house with her sister and her fiancée, he had come without fail, every single day.

She reached out and took a notepad and a pen which was lying on the ground.

_Remember me . . ._

She placed the pen to paper and before she knew it she was lost in her lyrics. Whenever she was sad, she would write. It always turned out to be lyrics to a song, though she never dared to sing it out loud.

The scratching of pen on paper and her soft sniffling were the only sounds in the room as time seemed to fade away.

After who knows how long, her body felt tired and sluggish from no food all day and crying really hard; so she gently placed the notepad down and fell asleep in a ball next to a brand new set of lyrics.

* * *

><p>"Damn that stupid, stuck up Kuchiki!"<p>

Ichigo was fuming as he stabbed his chopsticks into his bento. The other students sitting at the other tables all jumped slightly when he viciously tore open the wrapper for his juice box and leaned slightly away from him.

Ichigo was oblivious to all the commotion he was causing and was focused on how to get that stupid shorty to co-operate with him. If there was one subject he didn't fail then it was music. Music was the only thing he had left, after that incident. It had been so long, but he would never forget it.

Music had changed so much in his life, there was no way he was letting it go.

"That's it! I'm gonna hunt that Kuchiki down and force her to work with me!"

The outburst had silenced the entire cafeteria but Ichigo, clueless as usual, stalked out without noticing a thing.

He looked through every room but just couldn't seem to find that midget.

Frustrated and tired, he decided to the music room to relieve his stress. Being a new student halfway during the term wasn't a good thing, especially when he knew his first impression to his classmates wasn't so good.

As he approached the door of the music room, he looked up and saw a little stick-it note.

_Sorry! This music room is currently unavailable! _

_Please use the one down the corridor and to the right!_

_Thank you, _

_Urahara Kisuke!_

Ichigo growled.

Damn his annoying music teacher.

* * *

><p>"Rukia did what?"<p>

The butler winced at Byakuya's volume.

"She, um, changed her electives."

"To what may I ask?" Byakuya coldly replied.

"To . . . um . . . she, um, changed Elective History to music . . ."

Byakuya stared at the butler, his eyes boring holes into the poor servant's head.

"To what? Speak up."

"T-to music . . ."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"WHAT?"

* * *

><p>"Ah, Yoruichi!"<p>

The dark skinned woman turned and flashed a toothy grin at her partner.

"What's up, Kisuke?"

"Kurosaki and Kuchiki are going to be a bit late for P.E this afternoon. They're going to be a little busy preparing for the assignment I gave them."

Yoruichi gave Urahara a knowing look.

"Ahh, that was quick Urahara. I didn't expect you to move that fast. But are you sure this will work for both of them this way?"

"Well, Kuchiki Byakuya is coming back in two weeks. Time must be used wisely, no?"

Yoruichi laughed.

"Of course!"

* * *

><p>"Orihime! Orihime! What's wrong with you?"<p>

The said girl shook herself out of her daydream and faced her friend.

"Nothing, Tatsuki-chan! It's just . . ."

She fiddled with a strand of her red-brown hair while bitting her lip.

Tatsuki stared at her friend. After knowing her for so many years, it became easy to tell when Orihime was lying and what she was actually thinking.

"It's that Kurosaki guy . . . isn't it?"

Orihime jumped and eyes flicked nervously back and forth.

"N-no, why would it be?"

Tatsuki sat down and sighed.

"Orihime . . . you know you can't lie to me."

"Oh . . . ok. I'm sorry Tatsuki . . ."

Tatsuki took a bite of her bread.

"Don't go near him."

"What?"

Tatsuki swallowed and took a big gulp of milk.

"He isn't good for you. He's been like this for several years now."

"Y-you know him, Tatsuki-chan?"

"Yeah. He was my best friend when we were younger. Then one day, something happened and he changed from the innocent, smiling boy that I knew to something else."

Orihime took all this in, still not touching her food.

"But still, he's very interesting isn't he?"

Tatsuki choked on her milk.

"Don't tell me you have a crush on him, Orihime! You just met him!"

Orihime blushed and hid behind the wall of her hair.

"N-no! I just think he isn't as scary as he looks."

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at her best friend.

"Sure, sure."

Orihime chewed her lip.

"Tatsuki-chan, can you tell me exactly what happened?"

* * *

><p>Ichigo stepped into the old music room, coughing at the amount of dust while cursing Urahara over and over again in his head with the worst words he could think of. He dumped his bag down near the door then headed over to open the nearest window to get some fresh air into the room while dodging the obstacle course that the room had set up.<p>

After forcing open the old window with much difficultly, he turned around and let himself examine the room more closely. His eyes surveyed the room and he nodded in approval. The manuscript papers, instruments and other stuff were clearly old and out of date, but it was still very good quality. He saw a baby grand piano in the corner, where it was nearly hidden under piles of old piano practice books; he saw a dusty flute which would definitely shine if he bothered to give it a good clean; and he saw a beautiful acoustic guitar. He instinctively moved towards a guitar that was leaning against the wall and picked it up.

Grabbing a random chair, he shoved all the paper off it and sat down, his hands already moving across the guitar. He fingered the familiar strings of the guitar, caressing it in a very un-Ichigo like way.

A note pad lying on the ground with someone's scribbles on it caught Ichigo's attention. He picked it up and read through it, his scowl fading as he read the touching lyrics to a song. It sounded so sad and he wondered who could have written this.

As he read, a melody formed in his mind and slowly he began to figure out the chords to the melody.

Soft guitar chords filled the room, making it feel alive with new music.

It was probably the first time in a very long time that music had been played or sung in that old, overlooked music room.

Rukia, who had been lying on the ground, sleeping, was hidden behind a huge pile of music books. She woke up to the beautiful sounds of a guitar and for a moment she thought she was still dreaming. She hadn't heard such wonderful sounds in years. Byakuya's restrictions were very tight: no listening to the radio, no going to dances, no singing, and even no going into shops that played music in the background. To someone who used to love music so much when she was younger, it was torture. But she knew, she couldn't break the promise to her beloved _nii-sama_ and more importantly . . . to her sister.

As Rukia listened closely to the music, she realised how perfectly it fitted with her lyrics.

As the guitar swelled to the chorus, Rukia realised she hadn't felt so at ease near music like this in ages. Without realising it, she breathed in and opened her mouth.

She stood up, not caring if the person who was playing the guitar saw her or even if anyone heard her. All thoughts of her promise to her family flew out of her head.

She was free, and this time nothing would stop her.

And for the first time in 7 years, Kuchiki Rukia sang.

* * *

><p>Byakuya groaned.<p>

Why was this happening? Rukia has always been a quiet and obedient girl, why would she deliberately dis-obey him, especially when she knew that it wasn't just his request but her deceased sister's too.

"My deepest apologies, Kuchiki-sama, but I'm afraid you'll have to stay for longer than two weeks."

Byakuya would have head desk-ed himself in anger and frustration, but a Kuchiki must remain formal and dignified at all times, so he just sat there, seething.

The butler cringed.

Why did he always have to deliver bad news to Byakuya Kuchiki?

"One month. Maximum."

"Huh? Sir?"

"One month. After that I will leave no matter what."

The butler bowed in acknowledgement.

"Yes, sir."

Byakuya waved away the butler, concentrating on his paperwork. As soon the door closed behind the butler, Byakuya dropped the paperwork.

This can't be happening. He had promised Hisana that he would definitely honour her wishes.

Rukia had to stay away from music.

Because music had taken so many things away from Hisana, and Rukia knew that. It still didn't stop her though.

Then . . .

The accident happened.

Hisana almost lost something else because of music. Almost, she was so close.

_Rukia, why did you do this?_

_Why would you break your sister's wishes?_

* * *

><p>Tatsuki looked at Orihime and looked back at her milk bottle.<p>

She took a small breath before beginning her story.

_Ichigo . . . _

_He always had been a cry-baby, a whiner, a complete mamma's boy. _

_I met him when we were much younger at the dojo. I was his teacher and even though we were the same age, I always managed to beat him to a pulp each time. He always ended up with bruises and cuts, not to mention the snot running down his dirty little face as he cried over his defeat. _

_But when his mum came to pick him up, it was like someone had magically taken away all of those pains and placed a huge smile on his face. _

_He loved his mum._

_And whatever his mum liked, he liked. _

_His mother loved to sing and play the piano. So naturally, Ichigo too loved music. _

_What he loved the most though was when his mother would sing to him whenever he was sad or lonely. Sometimes she would sing when she was happy too. _

_And trust me, I only ever heard her sing once, but it was amazing. _

_She was amazing._

_I wish I could hear her sing once more._

_One night, when Ichigo was about 6 or so, there was a car accident. I don't know exactly what happened but what I do know is that she died that night, protecting Ichigo. _

_How he must have felt . . ._

_His entire family was quiet for so many days. _

_Then, when Ichigo turned 8, his cousin came to visit. He was the one who taught Ichigo how to play the guitar and read notes. Then, every holiday, he would come and visit and they would sit together and whisper over many things. His cousin didn't even feel like his cousin anymore; they were more like brothers. _

_But, suddenly, Ichigo's new found happiness was snatched away from him. It was so cruel, how it seems fate always seemed to be toying with him. _

_His cousin had passed away too. _

_I think it was cancer or something that was long term that he had for a while. _

_Ichigo had no idea._

_But then, once every week after his cousin's death, he would disappear off somewhere, claiming he was doing some duty he owed his cousin. I don't where he went and I didn't dare ask. _

_Eventually though, he stopped doing that too._

_I'm guessing that something happened again. I think it was around when we were 10 or 11. _

_And that was the last time I ever saw Ichigo like the real Ichigo. _

_From then on . . ._

_He was just a shadow of the bright flame he once was. _

Orihime wiped at her eyes where tears had started to form.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun . . ."

* * *

><p>Ichigo stopped playing and listened.<p>

It was remarkable.

Her voice sounded so soothing and so comforting; and somehow the same feeling he got when he argued with her the first time began to well up in him. It was so familiar. . .

_Baby I have been here before  
>I know this room; I've walked this floor<br>I used to live alone before I knew you._

She was standing, singing her heart so passionately that it dispelled any doubts Ichigo had about her not being musically talented.

_I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
>Love is not a victory march<br>It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah . . . Hallelujah . . ._

Her voice filled the whole room and Ichigo was drawn in.

_Maybe there's a God above  
>but all I've ever learned from love<br>was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you_

_It's not a cry you can hear at night  
>It's not somebody who has seen the light<br>It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_I did my best, it wasn't much  
>I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch<br>I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you_

_There's a blaze of light in every word_

_It doesn't matter which you heard  
>The holy or the broken Hallelujah<em>

"Hallelujah . . . Hallelujah . . .Hallelujah . . . Hallelujah . . ."

Rukia's voice had softened to a whisper and when she sang the last note, it felt like it was suspended in the air for a while before she let it fade away.

She opened her eyes.

And saw Ichigo sitting in a seat in front of her.

The two of them looked at each other, caught in the moment.

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak just as the full impact of what she had actually done hit Rukia. A billion thoughts that she had blocked off while singing rushed into her mind and she could feel her head spin as it tried to keep up. What had she just done? What would Byakuya think? What was going to happen to her?

Her legs felt soft and she felt the blood pounding as it rushed into her head; she fought against her tiredness but failed.

Her eyes rolled back and she fell onto the ground in a dead faint.

Ichigo dropped his guitar in shock.

"Rukia!"

* * *

><p><em>What did I just do?<em>

* * *

><p><strong><span>AUTHOR NOTE: <span>**Aaannnnnddd cliffy! Altogether a very depressing one but trust me, it will lighten up! :)

REVIEW! or i will be sad . . .

P.S bookwormtiff: no more complaining,i updated so now you have to wait at least one week till next time ok?

Aprilup*


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR NOTE: ** hey guys! I'm back! I had a very hard time trying to find a good song for this chappie but I made it through nonetheless!

Originally I'm on my DET laptop which means I don't get notified when someone subscribes or comments and I can only access the mobile version, but I just checked my normal laptop the other day and I can say:

WHOOOOTTT! All lot of people actually have subscribed but not commented, so it makes me happy to know that there are other people who are reading too!

Ok, enough chatter, ENJOY!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach or the epic-ness of Ichi-Ruki.

**Music Game – Playlist No. 6 Track No. 7: **

RECAP:

_Her eyes rolled back and she fell onto the ground in a dead faint._

_Ichigo dropped his guitar in shock. _

"_Rukia!"_

_What did I just do?_

Ichigo winced as he heard the guitar smash onto the ground and saw Rukia fall heavily onto the wooden floor.

That short Kuchiki had collapsed right in front of him!

Quickly, Ichigo's medical senses kicked in and he hurriedly knelt in front of her. He felt her wrist for a pulse and confirmed that it was strong and beating away nicely. As his hand closed around her wrist, he realised just how small the girl really was. Her wrist was so thin just like the rest of her petite body; her face had turned pale. Her hair fell forward and covered her face, merging with the ever present strands of hair that fell between her eyes. She looked like . . .

Ichigo looked around wondering what to do-

Wait, pale?

He hastily dropped her wrist (why was he still holding on anyway?) before reaching up and gently lifting Rukia's head onto his lap. His fingers came away from her dark hair, stained with red.

"Oh, shit!"

Ichigo reached inside his pants pocket and took out a white handkerchief which he proceeded to wrap Rukia's damaged head in. He slid one arm under Rukia's neck and the other under her legs and lifted her up.

He opened the door with some difficultly and headed straight for the infirmary.

Well at least he hoped that was the direction, he couldn't really remember.

_Man, Kuchiki, you sure know how to surprise me._

* * *

><p>Last period had finished and Yoruichi still hadn't seen a sign of 2 of her students. Just because Urahara had a plan it didn't mean that he could just pull them out of class. The bell went and everyone piled into the P.E change room in a hurry to get home. Yoruichi was just about to pull out her phone to call Urahara demanding an explanation when her message ringtone went off.<p>

_NYAN! Nyan. Nyan, nyan, nyan, nyan, nyan, nyan, nyan . . ._

Her eyes lit up as she read the message. Yoruichi smiled, her bad mood disappearing quickly.

_To: One Night_

_From: Kisuke_

_**:D Sorry!**_

_To: Kisuke_

_From: One Night_

_**Forget about it! Did you know that they would skip class?**_

_To: One Night_

_From: Kisuke_

_**Yes, I know already!**_

_To: Kisuke_

_From: One Night_

_**HUH? O_O how come? Oh wait . . .**_

_**-Sigh- You and your info Kisuke . . .**_

_To: One Night_

_From: Kisuke_

_**This means more time to put the plan into action.**_

Yoruichi stared at the last message Urahara had sent to her and sighed.

She was starting to regret things a little.

Things had only turned out this way because there was no other choice; Byakuya wouldn't listen to her or to anyone else. Hisana's death had only made him more determined. Rukia deserved this chance. Ichigo did too. It wasn't fair how life was so cruel sometimes; it would take all you had but would give nothing back.

She was going to fix this whether Byakuya liked it or not.

Plus, she'd prefer her little students to remember her . . .

* * *

><p>When Rukia awoke, the first thing she realised beside the fact that her head was throbbing, was a heat source lying next to her. She turned her head with much difficulty and tried to focus her blurry eyes on the figure sitting on chair with his body lying across part of the bed, but her head wouldn't respond. There was pain but it felt dulled, perhaps that kind had helped her.<p>

What happened?

Feeling really tired, she fell back into a deep sleep.

_Wait . . . orange hair . . ._

_Who had orange hair?_

_Orange hair meant . . ._

* * *

><p>When Rukia and Ichigo both awoke, something had changed.<p>

They both had no idea what it was. But somehow, looking into each other's eyes was quite hard now, even though it had been so easy yesterday. Every breath and movement seemed to reach their ears so loudly, like they were on hyper tune. The clock on the wall said that class started 5 minutes ago.

"We should go to class."

"Y-yeah."

Rukia shifted off the bed, silently cursing herself for stuttering. Why was it so hard to breathe in this room?

As they headed down the corridor, Ichigo vaguely considering calling home and telling them that he was alright. But that would just result in more yelling and innuendos from his dad and sisters. He needed a fake alibi to cover up for where he had actually been last night. And the only one who could help him was-

"We should think of an alibi."

Ichigo almost laughed at that.

They were too similar, that's why they fought so much, but nonetheless their thinking was on the same wavelength.

"OK, sure. So, what were you doing yesterday? Or what were we doing?"

She thought for a while.

"We studied in the library together and worked on our music assignment."

"Which is due today by the way."

Rukia muttered a curse which sounded quite similar to something like 'ducking glass hole of a music teacher'. Ichigo couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face at that.

They opened the door and Urahara immediately pounced on them.

"Ah! Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!"

He ushered them into the class.

"Goodness, Kuchiki-san, what happened to your head?"

"Um, well, I had a little accident last night."

Urahara nodded half sympathetically for a while before turning his head back to teaching the class.

"We have all presented and now it's your turn!"

The entire class stared expectedly at the two.

"Uh, well, actually-"Ichigo started.

"We haven't finished."

Urahara frowned slightly but then smiled again.

"That's ok! Just sing a song that you know then! Actually, since we're starting a new topic, why don't just sing any song that you like!"

Ichigo and Rukia both stared down at the ground, silently cursing. There was silence as the class waited but nothing came. They both racked their brains for a good song off the top of their heads, but nothing special popped into mind. Finally, Urahara stood up and waved his fan softly at Ichigo.

"How about this then, Kurosaki-kun? Just sing something that you always wanted to, but never got the chance. It could be to something . . . or someone."

Underneath his hat, Urahara grinned, knowing that he had hit something.

Ichigo hesitated before turning to Rukia.

"Can you play the piano?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know the song Right Here Waiting?"

"Yes, but I haven't played the piano in-"

Not listening to her excuses, Ichigo dragged Rukia over to the piano in the corner and plonked her down on the seat.

"Just play. I don't care if you suck, if there's one subject I don't want to fail, its music."

She puzzled over his words. Why would he care about music? Turning her thoughts back to the matter at hand, Rukia's hands gently glided over the keys. The smooth coolness of the keys felt so familiar and comforting. It had been ages and her fingers were just aching to play. It felt so good but guilt constantly gnawed at her.

Just one song wouldn't hurt, right?

After all, Byakuya wouldn't have to know . . .

"Alright."

She closed her eyes and played.

Ichigo turned around on the seat so that he faced the class.

_Oceans apart, day after day . . ._

_And I slowly I go insane._

_I hear your voice on the line,_

_But it doesn't feel the same._

Rukia almost stopped playing. The change in texture of his voice when Ichigo sang surprised her so much. His voice was harsh when he had sung Break My Heart the other day but now it had a softer tone. It was like he was actually singing out something that he wanted to say.

_If I see you next to never . . ._

_How can we say forever?_

Rukia prepared for the chorus, shocking herself at how well her memory was. It really was such an old song and the last time she had ever touched the piano was straight after the operation and then . . .

She winced at the sudden pain in her head but didn't stop. She never had problems remembering things from before. The memories were blurred because of the results of the operation but it had never hurt to think about the memories before. Come to think of it, it didn't hurt her at all to sing or to play the piano. Byakuya and the doctors all said that music was bad for her but it hadn't hurt one bit.

It had been fun.

_Where ever you are,_

_Whatever you do,_

_I will be right here waiting for you._

_Whatever it takes, _

_Or how my heart breaks, _

_I will be right here waiting for you. _

Vaguely, Rukia wondered who Ichigo really was.

First impressions of him were obviously pretty bad. He was loud and rude; obnoxious and annoying, especially his weirdly coloured hair which she was sure he dyed. But it was pretty clear that he wasn't always like that; after all he had helped her and stayed with her all night didn't he? If he actually was a bad person, he would have just left her there. And they were here, working together to accomplish something that was clear that they both loved. Begrudgingly, Rukia acknowledged the fact that Ichigo was pretty talented.

_I took for granted, all the times _

_That I thought would last somehow _

_I hear the laughter, I taste the tears _

_But I can't get near you now_

As Ichigo continued, Rukia's thoughts drifted towards the person who Ichigo might be singing to. It seemed like he was really actually sad and was missing her very much.

Her?

Rukia's eyes widened and she tripped over a couple of notes but hurriedly covered it up.

Why did she automatically assume that it was a girl and that it was . . .

She shook her head; the stinging sensation had started again. Everything seemed hypersensitive to her now. Each breath Ichigo took for the next line, each movement his feet made; his body heat felt much to close on the suddenly smaller piano chair. It had been ages since anyone had been this close to her. Every just avoided her and Byakuya was . . . well, Byakuya.

_Oh can't you see it baby,_

_You're driving me crazy._

_Where ever you go,_

_Whatever you do,_

_I will be right here waiting for you. _

_Whatever it takes,_

_Or how my heart breaks,_

_I will be right here waiting for you . . ._

Rukia let her fingers play across the last chord of arpeggios for the ending and she lifted the pedal off for the final soft note. The silence after this was so deafening that she wished for something, anyone to break it. The softest pin in the world could have fallen on the carpet and it would have shattered the heavy nothingness that pressed down against her throat preventing anything from coming out.

"Did we pass?"

With those words, Ichigo broke the silence and the class shifted back into action.

Urahara grinned happily from ear to ear.

"Of course! Perfect score! Well done, you two! I should enter you in the Japanese Children's Music Festival!"

BAM!

Ichigo suddenly stood up, his muscles all tense.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Rukia looked up at Ichigo from where she was sitting. His head was down and his hair covered his eyes. By his sides, his hands had curled up into tight fists that were filled with anger.

"No."

Urahara frowned. This wasn't part of the plan . . .

"I refuse to participate."

"What's wrong with the Japanese Children's Music Festival? I'm sure if you go, you and Kuchiki-san would top them all! In fact I think you would top the last biggest performance, which was 5 years ago. "

5 Years ago . . .

Rukia's head throbbed. Her sister had died 5 years ago. And 5 years ago . . .

_No! _

_I don't . . ._

_I want to . . ._

Then suddenly a name popped into mind.

She opened her mouth unconsciously as Ichigo started walking away.

"Kaien . . . dono." She whispered.

Ichigo froze.

He turned around and stared at Rukia incredulously.

"How do you know Kaien?"

**AUTHOR NOTE: **AAANNNNDD CUT!

: D yay I updated! I'm so happy!

Please review to fuel me up because I really love it! It's like drinking chicken soup!

. . . Yes, I like chicken soup very much . . .

I'm hungry now . . .

Gonna go munch!

REVIEW and don't add to alert or fave without reviewing, goddammit! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR NOTE: **Maths yearlies . . . goddammit, kill me already!

==' sigh . . . I need more reviews . . . though this story actually is better received than Ume No Tsubasa and Second Meeting . . .

Guess my fist fanfic (Impact Crater) was just a fluke . . . NOTHING COME OUT RIGHT ANYMORE!

Anyways, as usual:

I DO NOT OWN BLEACH!

Review peoples! ROAR!

**Anyways, I typed out the whole chapter and edited it so many times before I realised that I DIDN'T PUT A SONG IN! OMG! (It's just that it flowed so well and I couldn't find a place to place a song) So, unfortunately no song . . . I had no set song in mind and nothing popped out when I wrote it, so, yeah . . . . .**

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 4: Playlist No. 6**

Rukia blinked.

"I . . ."

How could she put this into words? The memory had just popped into her mind. Rukia was sure that this memory had been buried; it must have only risen to the surface again when she hit her head. People who get hurt their head badly in particular places often lose their memories; but Rukia never thought that it might also be the other way round. Perhaps, this could be a clue leading up to the events just before the accident and after. She bit back a wince of pain as her head pounded once again because of those memories. It was as if something was there, blocking out something really special. Something really important; something that she should remember and-

"Tell me! How do you know Kaien?"

Ichigo had walked back to Rukia and asked again in a quiet voice.

"I . . . I think I knew him before. He . . . played the guitar and . . ."

She trailed off.

Who was he? The name Kaien now seemed familiar but she couldn't place why.

DINGDINGDING

Next period.

"Well. Kurosaki-kun. Please think about it."

Urahara said softly.

"Class dismissed."

Chatter erupted as Urahara swept out of the classroom and into the corridor of people. Chairs were tucked in and books chucked into bags while Ichigo and Rukia remained still. Most of the class had already filed out when Tatsuki approached the two.

"Hi, I'm Tatsuki. I'm a childhood friend of Ichigo's. Do you mind if I could talk to him for just a sec?"

Rukia nodded. No words could come right now.

"Thanks!"

Tatsuki grabbed Ichigo's arm and dragged him out of the room.

"See ya later, Rukia!"

* * *

><p>Rukia wandered around aimlessly in the school halls. There was no point going to class, she couldn't concentrate like this. Plus, this was one of the benefits of having Byakuya away. Might as well break the rules and be as rowdy as she liked before going back into the stuffy, old, fake Rukia she was in front of him and the maids and butlers.<p>

Speaking of which; if Byakuya came back, he would pull some strings for sure and get her out of music class. Maybe he would make her move schools, again. Her chest tightened. Somehow, this time, leaving this place seemed harder than the other times. Being here had awakened so many memories and things she didn't know. Perhaps, if she stayed a little longer, she might finally know the truth of what happened 5 years ago.

Or, in the end, the main reason she didn't want to go was the music.

No doubt if she left, she would never hear any music or sing any songs. Her life would just be a dull sheet of paper once more, with no colour or spontaneity. Rukia vaguely recalled the times when she had been so playful and cheeky, constantly annoying everyone, especially her sister.

Hisana . . .

She was all alone until Hisana had found her once again. But before that, there was always something that kept her going. No; not something. Someone.

BAM!

The memory hit her like a ton of bricks and soon the memory turned into several memories.

And she remembered.

"Kaien . . ."

"_Hey, Kuchiki! Want to play a game?"_

_She turned around._

"_What kind of game?"_

_He grinned happily._

"_Well, it needs music."_

* * *

><p>"<em>I thought you weren't coming!"<em>

_She hugged him tightly. _

"_Wouldn't leave you all alone, now could I?"_

_He laughed back._

"_Thank you!"_

_He ruffled her hair._

"_Now, what should we do today?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>I can't visit you as much as before, sorry."<em>

_He looked down, genuinely sad. _

"_It's ok. As long as you come, right?"_

_She tugged his sleeve._

"_Yeah."_

"_Hey, can you teach me that song?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>Eh? Did you change your hair colour?"<em>

"_Yeah."_

"_Oh."_

_For once there was an awkward silence before he sighed and picked up a sheet of music._

"_How about this one?"_

"_Ok."_

* * *

><p>"<em>Remem<em>_ber this, Kuchiki. You're not alone. You'll never be alone, I promise you. Even if I'm not here, there is always someone."_

* * *

><p>She breathed, her brain trying to keep up with the lot. Then suddenly as it began, it stopped. Rukia cursed silently in her head. Just when the memories where getting closer and closer to that year of the accident. Looks like Kaien wasn't connected.<p>

But now she knew who he was.

And a burst of emotion went through her.

Rukia lifted a small hand to her cheek and gently wiped off the tears.

All this time she had never felt full. She thought it was the ban on music that ceased her happiness but even when she sang and played, she still couldn't fill that little hole inside her. Music would only sound good to her, if they played together. All memories felt so complete because they were together. Nothing had ever sounded as good as her and Kaien together.

But what was the game that they played?

How come her memories of him started from when she was 6 and then stopped at 10?

And why did Ichigo know him?

"Only one way to find out."

* * *

><p>"Ah! Tatsuki, what are you-ow! Hey!"<p>

Tatsuki didn't talk to Ichigo and kept on punching him whenever he spoke until they reached the giant Sakura tree outside. Then she released her grip on his collar and dumped him on the ground. She loomed over him, her face angry but also confused. Her eyes flashed Ichigo the familiar _I-am-going-to-punch-you-senseless _look before taking a deep breath to yell at him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Ichigo grimaced.

"What are you talking about Tatsuki?"

Her nostrils flared.

"What do you think? What's going on between you and that Kuchiki girl? Why did I hear you two mention Kaien?"

She grabbed his collar again and pulled him up from a sitting position to half kneeling.

"How come she gets to know what happened and I don't, huh?"

"She doesn't know, Tatsuki! She just said his name. And I just asked her how she knew it."

Her eyes narrowed and she stared Ichigo down.

"Tatsuki, please."

Ichigo's eyes never met hers.

"I'll tell you when the time is right. I promise, but for now, can you just let me sort things out?"

She raised a fist, as if about to punch him. He braced but the impact never came. Instead, her arms lost all energy and she collapsed onto him, hugging him tightly. Ichigo's arms slowly came around and awkwardly patted her. It had got to be the first time Tatsuki was so gentle with him.

"Ichigo," she murmured into his shirt, "Don't keep trying to sort things out all by yourself. You have all of us."

_So, please . . ._

Her arms tightened around Ichigo.

"Ta . . . tsuki-chan . . ."

Ichigo and Tatsuki both looked at the person who just appeared behind a Sakura tree.

"O-orihime . . ."

"Tatsuki-chan . . . I . . . what . . ."

Ichigo internally groaned. The last thing he needed now was Orihime spreading rumours about him and Tatsuki. After all, it wasn't as if Orihime actually liked him right? So, someone as popular as her would definitely be a gossip magnet. Nothing could be worse than this . . . having one girl on top of him and the other staring at him.

"Ichigo! Oi! Kurosaki Ichigo!"

The orange haired youth gave up. There was something worse. Having one girl on top of him, the other staring at him AND another one coming his way. The other boys would never let him forget this if they saw him right now.

Tatsuki stood up and grabbed Orihime.

"W-what? Tatsuki-chan, but-"

Tatsuki didn't say anything and dragged the slightly confused Orihime away.

Ichigo, who was still sitting on the ground, looked at them as they went. He felt guilt well up In him once again; he didn't realise just how much Tatsuki worried. The orange haired youth wanted to tell Tatsuki but the problem is, he can't. In his mind, he reaches out to those memories but they're coated with oil and they slip out of his hands. It's not like a block in his head, it's more like those memories have been blurred using Photoshop. What he needed was an undo button to turn them back to normal.

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo jumped. Lost in his thoughts, he had forgotten that Rukia was still coming his way and now she stood right in front of him.

"I remember now, Kaien was the one who taught me music."

She blurted out.

* * *

><p>"Yoruichi."<p>

The said woman turned around and grinned happily as she saw Kisuke.

"Yo! What's up?"

Urahara didn't say anything and merely just stared at the floor blankly, his mind doing several calculations.

"Something's wrong."

Yoruichi's smiled dropped and her face turned serious.

"What happened?"

Urahara shook his head, muttering a little to himself.

"I'm not quite sure, but," he started.

"What?"

"Was this the person you defended in front of Byakuya that night?"

He held up a picture. Yoruichi stared at it and nodded slowly, not understanding. Urahara dug through his sleeves and pulled out a nearly identical one and showed it to Yoruichi. Her eyes widened as they flicked back and forth between the two.

"N-no way."

"Yeah, I think we made a mistake."

Yoruichi let herself fall slightly into Urahara.

"So what does this mean?"

"It means that the one right now is Kurosaki Ichigo and the one that night was Kaien Shiba."

She closed her eyes.

"And therefore-"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>"I had a little accident when I was younger and a lot of memories just disappeared. But because of that fall yesterday, my head's been acting up. So, I guess I sort of remembered. Anyways, where is Kaien now? I really want to see him again."<p>

Ichigo had remained silent throughout her whole mini-speech and grew even quieter and still with her last sentences. The pain that pricked his heart felt like someone was picking at a wound that was half healed; and then maybe they threw some salt on it too just to rub it in. The guilt welled up inside of him. Nobody would ever see Kaien ever again. Nobody would hear Kaien's guitar or his voice.

"You . . . won't see Kaien."

_I'm sorry._

"What do you mean?"

"You can't meet Kaien anymore."

_It's my fault._

"Why not?"

Ichigo's brown eyes finally lifted up and met her dark ones. In those eyes, Rukia saw so much reflected in them; so much that they had in common. Loneliness, pain, confusion, guilt, sorrow, longing, and the list of emotions went on and on. She saw the answer in his eyes before he said it, but it was only when he said that the truth of it hit her.

"Because, Kaien's dead."

* * *

><p>"Change of plans."<p>

"But, sir, you can't! You musn't!"

Byakuya shot his best death glare and emitted a dark aura around the room.

"Get Renji or someone to handle it."

"But-"

"Enough!"

The man hastily bowed and exited the room, bowing as he went.

_Rukia . . ._

_You must be safe._

_I'll keep my promise to Hisana. _

Byakuya dialled a number and placed phone on loudspeaker.

"Hello?"

The voice sounded slightly hollow and dead.

"Rukia."

"Oh, Nii-sama. How are you?"

Immediately her voice took on a lighter tone.

Byakuya ignored Rukia's attempts at making casual conversation.

"Rukia. You're changing out of music and into commerce. If you have not when I return, then-"

"When are you returning, Nii-sama?"

"In 2 days."

* * *

><p>Rukia dropped the phone.<p>

_No . . . _

_I'm so close . . . I can't stop now . . . I have to find out . . ._

_No . . ._

**AUTHOR NOTE: **Sigh, so fricking tired . . . review peoples or I will hunt you down if you just fave or subscribe . . . .

K-POP CONCERT IN ONE WEEKK!

WHOOOOTTTT!

So happy!

Looks like Japan will have to take a back seat while I indulge in an awesome 3 hour concert of K-POP fun! REVIEWWWWW!

Aprilup


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR NOTE: **Just to clear up so confusion, yes, the person that Rukia was thinking about at the beginning of Chapter 2 is KAIEN.

However, since she hit her head pretty badly (Courtesy of herself and Ichigo), she originally forgot all about Kaien. Then she got the memories back, note: ONLY SOME FROM WHEN SHE WAS 6-10. (Re-read Chapter 2!)

Now, because Byakuya is coming back, she needs hurry because she's running out of time to complete her goal. Her goal is still vaguely the same as the start; she's trying to use music as a way to reconnect with the world and solve her mystery about her memories.

And I'll leave Ichigo as Ichigo; you don't have to know everything about him yet, ;)

WOW, that was epically long . . . sorry you had to read that!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach.

**Chapter 5: Playlist No. 4 Track No. 7**

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo lifted the book off his face and sunlight poured over his face. He scowled and covered his eyes before sitting up, letting the book drop into his lap. Rukia raised an eyebrow at the book cover.

"Shakespeare, huh?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and lifted a second book, a gag manga, from inside the Shakespeare book.

"Yeah, he's brilliant."

Rukia was standing on the concrete path that ran through this massive patch of grass that Ichigo was lying on. What she really wanted to do right now was to walk right up to him and grab him by the collar to shake some answers out of him. Yesterday's events still reeled in her mind, but despite the inner turmoil that was raging through her, she attempted to stay calm. There was one goal she had to reach and she wasn't going to let it slip out of her hands, Byakuya or no Byakuya.

At least she vaguely knew who Kaien was now.

But it still hurt, knowing that she would never be able to see him again.

Ichigo had walked away after that and Byakuya had called. Luck sure wasn't going her way.

It was times like this when she wished her sister was still alive. Hisana would have known exactly how she felt right now and would immediately know what to do about it. She closed her eyes and imagined that Hisana was right next to her, telling her and guiding her with her gentle voice.

"_Do what you have to do, Rukia."_

She swallowed.

"Uh . . . um, play a game with me!"

She blurted out, mentally cursing herself for sounding so stupid.

Ichigo snorted and his scowl grew.

"Who do you think I am?"

Rukia fumbled for words to reply.

"Uh, um, what I meant was-"

"I don't care what you mean or what you want with me. Just stay away. I made a mistake, helping you."

He got up and started walking away, as he did; the bell rang out signifying the end of lunch. As the last chime faded, Rukia became desperate. She ran after him, but with her height, she couldn't catch up to his long strides. She stopped and took a deep breath to yell.

"It's a Music Game! I want to play a Music Game!"

Ichigo froze.

To anybody else, it wouldn't have made sense at all. What did a Music Game mean? What was it about? What were its rules?

And perhaps, what was the reason for playing such a game?

But he was Ichigo. And he knew Kaien.

But she was Rukia. And she knew Kaien.

"Why?"

He whispered.

"Why are you doing this to me? I don't want to play it! I don't want to remember!"

He shouted the last sentence out, his back still facing Rukia.

"Why don't you want to remember? Are you running away, Ichigo? "

She demanded, stepping forward.

Rukia closed her eyes; memories of the lonely nights spent in the cold, empty Kuchiki household swam into view. The many nights where she just cried herself to sleep silently, so Byakuya would not hear her. She had felt so confused and hollow inside. Her memories were missing, something was missing. Every day was the same routine, nothing seemed worth it. Her reason for living; what was it? Was there any point at all?

It might've have been Kaien that had filled her hole; she didn't understand anymore, but she had to know.

"I'm not going to run anymore, not like you, I'm going to find out the truth! I know that you know something; I'll never let you go until I find out!"

Rukia took a breath to steady her nerves.

"Rule No. 1: Once the Game is brought up, the challenger and the challenged must play. There is no withdrawal permitted."

She took a couple steps closer to him. Ichigo still hadn't moved.

"Rule No. 2: The Game must be carried through the whole way. No breaks and no cheats."

Ichigo had curled his hands into fists.

"Rule No. 3: The Game is won-"

"-when a player concedes defeat; there are no ties."

Ichigo cut Rukia off harshly.

"I know. What's your purpose?"

He had turned around but his head was still down.

"We can't play a Music Game like this! There's no judge. There's nothing to play for!"

Rukia's brain racked for a reply to Ichigo's questions. But her mind came up blank. She couldn't just say that the reason that she wanted to do this was because she thought that maybe somehow her memories would return. It didn't make any sense, not even to herself, as she repeated her thoughts; but still she went with it.

"What? No quick snappy reply anymore Kuchiki? Give up already. . "

Ichigo started moving again.

His movement spurred Rukia into action and she leapt forward and grabbed his wrist.

Electricity cackled through their skin and Ichigo was reminded of the time when he had held onto her arm for a bit longer than necessary when she was unconscious. There was something about the rhythms that both of them lived by; it was unbelievably repelling, the way they were so different, yet it drew them both in at the same time. Never before had anything felt so wrong and so right.

Rukia's grip tightened.

"Urahara! We'll get Urahara to be the judge! And there's only one thing I wish to play for!"

Ichigo scoffed and tried to shake her hand off, but to no success.

"And what's that?"

"Information."

"Why would I agree to terms like that? It's only benefitting you."

"I win; I get the information I want. You win; I disappear forever."

Ichigo didn't speak for a while.

Eventually, Rukia's palms grew sweaty and she began to feel quite awkward; but she didn't quite want to let go of Ichigo either. She prayed and prayed that Ichigo would accept.

He had to.

He wouldn't say no . . . would he?

* * *

><p>"Fine, we'll start from now."<p>

"Tatsuki-chan . . ."

Orihime murmured softly as she watched her friend unleash her fury on the punching bag inside the dojo. Sweat dripped down the dark haired girl's face as she concentrated on bashing the living daylights out of the poor punching bag; which had done absolutely nothing wrong to her. Orihime turned around and leaned back against the wall, her arms tucked behind her back. Her brown eyes stared down at her shoes as she tried to swallow back tears.

Yesterday's events reeled in her head, moving so fast that they all merged into a large slush of emotions in her head. What did Tatsuki mean? Why was Tatsuki hugging Ichigo? Didn't Tatsuki know that she liked him? But they were childhood friends, so . . .

"Arisawa!"

"Hai?"

"What's wrong with you? Your punches are sloppy! Don't go for strength but precision!"

"Hai."

"Come on, concentrate! You're normally not like this!"

"Hai. I'm sorry."

Orihime sighed.

Everything was so confusing.

"Ah! Inoue-san!"

She looked up suddenly and saw the face of her music teacher; well, saw the hair and the hat of her music teacher. He grinned and opened his fan before waving it back and forth in front of him in a calm and relaxed manner.

"Urahara-sensei . . ."

"Orihime-san! I will need your help for a little while."

"Eh? Me?"

"Yes, yes, come along!"

He walked off, his coat swishing behind him. Orihime was frozen for a while she started moving after him.

"Ah! Wait! What do I have to do?"

Urahara laughed.

"That's easy, just listen and judge."

* * *

><p>Rukia smirked at Ichigo.<p>

"You ready?"

"Che, are you ready?"

Ichigo replied.

Rukia pretended to toss her 'long' hair, her smirk never leaving her face.

"For your information, I've had plenty of practice! _He _always brought me a song to compete against. Sometimes I lost, but most of the time, I won! Though I'm not worried, this is just a practice run."

"You're not the only one."

Rukia whirled around from her chair.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think I would know the rules of the game without ever playing it before? I knew Kaien since I was-"

He abruptly cut himself off.

_Damn. _

_I almost told her something . . ._

"What? Why did you suddenly stop?"

"Just hurry up and go and sing."

He shoved her out of the practice room and locked the door.

* * *

><p>"Wonderfully done, Kuchiki-san!"<p>

Rukia nodded.

"Y-yes, that was so good Kuchiki-san."

There was a pause before Rukia spoke again.

"Urahara . . . sensei," she quickly added on, "why is, uh, Inoue . . ."

"Because you can't have me judging everything now can you? That wouldn't be as fun! Now, Inoue-san, what do you think? Out of ten, I think she deserved a nine."

A pleased smile appeared on Rukia face, not full marks, but still do-able.

"Um, well, I think she, um . . . should get . . . a seven and a half . . . maybe an eight."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. Rukia frowned; her eyes were hard as she stared straight into Orihime's light brown ones. An eight would have been fine before, but not now, not when she had to win. She felt a little satisfaction as Orihime flinched away from her piercing stare; but it didn't help improve her mood by much.

"Inoue-san, your reason?"

Orihime looked around nervously and swallowed before she spoke.

"Because, though she hit the notes perfectly and the phrasing was perfect . . . there was something missing."

_Missing?_

Urahara cocked his head curiously to one side.

"Please explain further."

"Well, it was like, she was singing but she had no strength behind it. Her voice sounds beautiful and she isn't off pitch at all. But . . . I couldn't feel who was singing. Whether it was a sad person or a happy person, it was like it was the singer . . ."

Orihime found the courage to meet Rukia's stare.

"It was like the singer didn't know what she was singing about or singing for."

Urahara nodded.

"Well spoken. I agree with your decision. Please take a seat, Kuchiki-san. Kurosaki-san! Please come in!"

Rukia still hadn't moved from her position when Ichigo entered the room.

"You gonna move or not, midget? How am I supposed to sing with you in my way?"

Ichigo's words spurred Rukia back to life. She moved off the raised platform and went to sit down.

"Oi, shorty, you better listen well, 'cause you're gonna get smashed!"

"Che, I doubt it!"

Urahara waved his fan between the two.

"Maa, maa, calm down. Are you ready Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo looked at Rukia, who folded her arms and closed her eyes, before answering.

"Of course."

"Very well, round one requires you to choose a song to sing from a theme we give you, right here, right now. No practice. You can choose to interpret it anyway you wish."

Ichigo shrugged as if it was nothing.

"Alright then, your theme phrase is this: one person's dream."

The orange-haired teen barely thought for a minute before speaking.

"I've got one."

"That was quick, are you sure you don't want to reconsider your-"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Ok then."

Ichigo took a deep breath before starting.

_I walk a lonely road,_

_The only one that I have ever known._

_Don't know where it goes,_

_But it's home to me and I walk alone. _

_I walk this empty street, _

_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams._

_When the city sleeps,_

_And I'm the only one and I walk alone._

_I walk alone . . ._

The words and the melody sank deep into Rukia. Her whole life had felt like the exact tone of how Ichigo was singing. His voice was soft but strong; filled with pain but also a longing hope for something better despite knowing that things might never change. How many days did she go at a time, feeling just like that? Abandoned and alone; even with a house and food, to Rukia, it was still was 'home'. The short brief periods of happiness had all but faded into fantasy in her mind, never to be reached out for again.

_I walk alone . . ._

_My shadow's the only one, who walks beside me,_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating._

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me, _

'_Till then. ._

_I walk alone._

_I'm walking down the line,_

_That divides me somewhere in my mind,_

_On the borderline,_

_Of the edge and where I walk alone._

_Read between the lines, _

_What's messed up when everything's alright,_

_Check my vital signs,_

_To know I'm still alive and I walk alone._

_I walk alone . . ._

The days that she had spent until she was finally picked up by Hisana and Byakuya were torture. Having Renji around helped, but not much. It was only when she thought she really couldn't make it anymore, when Kaien appeared and suddenly she was no longer alone. Even moving in with Hisana hadn't separated them. He still appeared constantly when times were tough. But even he in the end disappeared . . .

_I walk alone . . ._

_My shadow's the only one, who walks beside me,_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating._

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me,_

'_Till then . . ._

_I walk alone . . ._

_I walk alone . . ._

_I walk this empty street . . ._

_On the Boulevard . . ._

_Of Broken . . ._

_Dreams . . ._

There was silence after Ichigo finished.

"Ten."

To everyone's surprise it was Rukia who spoke.

There was a silence to Rukia's announcement, then Orihime nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"Yes, ten."

"And I believe that was a ten too. Well congratulations Kurosaki-san, you've won round 1!"

**AUTHOR NOTE: ** omg, this chappie was long!

9 pages on word, around 2,500 words or so! ==' you all better review! :D

Thanks for reading!

Aprilup


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